LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Dear reader,
In the lead up to Christmas and as we all start to wind down for the holidays, we at La Civetta are thrilled to present you with ‘Mangia!’, our precious first issue of the academic year!
As you will remember, last year our magazine was kindly nominated for “Best Specialist Publication” in the United Kingdom by the Student Publication Association. This year, we are pleased to announce that the Italian department has been honoured once again - our very own Dr Vera Castiglione has been awarded the prestigious Wonkhe/Guardian prize. So, this exciting edition kicks off with an exclusive face-to-face interview with Vera, which gives us a fascinating insight into the relationship between students and teachers at the University.
The emotions continue with an affectionate letter from Teaching Fellow Marcella Oliviero, who has decided to return to Italy for good for professional reasons, addressed to her students and full warm wishes for the future - as well as a surprising promise!
Given that this issue is introduced with such emotion, it only makes sense, then, for it to be dedicated to an equally emotional topic. It is impossible to think about Italy without considering the rich culinary culture that permeates the entire peninsula. And as such, we’d like to consider this edition our very own love letter to Italian food.
In this issue you will find a feast of articles about the culture of food nel Bel Paese. Amy Alcock tells us all about how the delicious dishes found up and down the country differ from region to region. Ally Norris shows us how the ancient traditions of Italian food continue to evolve with the times as new food joints catering to their coeliac clientele pop up across Italy. Sophie Oxley introduces us to Massimo Bottura, whose sense of innovation has earned his Modenese restaurant three Michelin stars. And we see how the bounty of Italian food overflows into all aspects of life, even fashion, as streetwear label GCDS collaborates with Barilla – the world’s biggest producer of pasta – for an advertising campaign. You are bound to find something to excite your taste buds!
Even outside of the realm of our food section, this edition of the magazine is a tantalising cornucopia of articles that speak to every aspect of Italian culture, from politics, fashion, sport, and to the beauty of the Italian Language. We are so immensely proud of an issue that we all – as talented contributors, brilliant designers and focused editors – have been able to cultivate.
Lastly, we want to thank you all. We want to thank you for reading and hope you have enjoyed this tour across Italy. We also want to thank everyone who has contributed to making this issue of the magazine come to life, not least our hardworking design team and our most trusted confidants, Sonia and Francesca, for helping to serve another delicious slice of La Civetta. We can’t wait to see what we can cook up next.
But for now – mangiamo!
Oli and Eleri
LETTER FROM THE EDITORS
Dear reader,
In the lead up to Christmas and as we all start to wind down for the holidays, we at La Civetta are thrilled to present you with ‘Mangia!’, our precious first issue of the academic year!
As you will remember, last year our magazine was kindly nominated for “Best Specialist Publication” in the United Kingdom by the Student Publication Association. This year, we are pleased to announce that the Italian department has been honoured once again - our very own Dr Vera Castiglione has been awarded the prestigious Wonkhe/Guardian prize. So, this exciting edition kicks off with an exclusive face-to-face interview with Vera, which gives us a fascinating insight into the relationship between students and teachers at the University.
The emotions continue with an affectionate letter from Teaching Fellow Marcella Oliviero, who has decided to return to Italy for good for professional reasons, addressed to her students and full warm wishes for the future - as well as a surprising promise!
Given that this issue is introduced with such emotion, it only makes sense, then, for it to be dedicated to an equally emotional topic. It is impossible to think about Italy without considering the rich culinary culture that permeates the entire peninsula. And as such, we’d like to consider this edition our very own love letter to Italian food.
In this issue you will find a feast of articles about the culture of food nel Bel Paese. Amy Alcock tells us all about how the delicious dishes found up and down the country differ from region to region. Ally Norris shows us how the ancient traditions of Italian food continue to evolve with the times as new food joints catering to their coeliac clientele pop up across Italy. Sophie Oxley introduces us to Massimo Bottura, whose sense of innovation has earned his Modenese restaurant three Michelin stars. And we see how the bounty of Italian food overflows into all aspects of life, even fashion, as streetwear label GCDS collaborates with Barilla – the world’s biggest producer of pasta – for an advertising campaign. You are bound to find something to excite your taste buds!
Even outside of the realm of our food section, this edition of the magazine is a tantalising cornucopia of articles that speak to every aspect of Italian culture, from politics, fashion, sport, and to the beauty of the Italian Language. We are so immensely proud of an issue that we all – as talented contributors, brilliant designers and focused editors – have been able to cultivate.
Lastly, we want to thank you all. We want to thank you for reading and hope you have enjoyed this tour across Italy. We also want to thank everyone who has contributed to making this issue of the magazine come to life, not least our hardworking design team and our most trusted confidants, Sonia and Francesca, for helping to serve another delicious slice of La Civetta. We can’t wait to see what we can cook up next.
But for now – mangiamo!
Oli and Eleri
Photography: Antonio Carriero